~ Writer in Progress

IWSG: Patience & Perseverance

Purpose of IWSG: to share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds! To join IWSG visit Ninja Captain Alex J. Cavanaugh here.

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Patience and perseverance will overcome all difficulties.
-Barbara Barkowski

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I don’t know who said it first, but this was my mother’s favorite saying, and I heard it often growing up. Probably because I was born with very little patience (although I’m good on perseverance, thank you very much).

Impatience can have a profound effect on our health, not just emotionally, but physically. The associated stress can lead to heart problems, ulcers, and depression.

We all know writing is a waiting game, so today I’m here with a request. I need more patience. Can you help me?

The Scenario
Upon submission of a story or manuscript, I’m almost euphoric. It’s off my desk, it’s no longer my problem. But then a week passes and another week, and then a month. Finally anxiety sets in. I begin to wonder if my work reached its intended target. And if it did, why haven’t I received a response or at least an acknowledgement?

If I were dealing face to face with an individual, I’d ask, but I would never risk insulting a publishing professional by nagging.

As the months pass, my frustration grows. Not good given the black hole of publishing. A writer is just as likely to never hear back as to receive a rejection or acceptance.

I’m like you, VR, with patience not coming naturally but perseverance coming in spades. It’s a thing I struggle with all the time, but I’ve learned to harness my impatience into severely increasing my production. While you’re waiting, instead of twiddling your thumbs you could write quite a bit more. I’ve found keeping myself busy in several engagements is quite handy as I learn to be more patient in developing my current manuscript, instead of rushing through the revisions. As I submit to agents again, I’m sure it will help immensely to almost forget about the submission and just work like hell on other projects. I’ve just decided I can’t stamp out my impatience, so why not put it to work?

My mother used to have a saying about patience, too. It went: “Patience is a virtue; keep it if you can. Seldom found in women, and never found in men.”

I guess I’m lucky. Patience has never been a problem for me. (Maybe I wanted to prove to my mother that I HAD it?) Not that I like to wait more than anyone else, but I tolerate it quite nicely by keeping myself busy and entertained with other things. (Receptionists get really annoyed when I do a song and dance in their waiting room.)

Seriously, rather than think about the fact that you’re waiting, or worry about whatever it is you’re waiting for, keeping yourself distracted with some other activity usually does the trick.

I’m glad I stopped by… I am one of THE MOST PATIENT you’ll ever meet. Still plugging away at novels I wrote years ago a and still polishing. I am like a old dog with his favorite chewy toy. I’ll never give it up.

My advice to you is step away from your anxiety. Focus on something completely different. When I am stressed I BAKE…yes. it’s amazing how relaxing it and how much focus it takes to create something so incredibly DELICIOUS. Also tinkering with the recipe’s and making them your own really adds to the fun. What submission? Did I send something out a few months ago? Who cares! It’s time for a coffee and freshly baked biscotti….

AND when you use natural ingredients with NO added chemicals or preservatives, you WILL NOT gain weight. It’s truly amazing.

Nature walks really help too. A long walk through a park or on the beach blows out all the anxieties stored up in the brain.

Exploring another creative outlet is something EVERY writer should do.

I think you’ve touched on a big part of the problem, Michael. Stepping away from one writing project usually means getting involved another, rather than taking time away. I used to have other hobbies. I don’t know what happened!

I love long walks and walk often. Of course as I walk, I write in my head. Maybe I’m just a hopeless cause. 🙂

Can’t help I have no patience but an over load of tenacity. If I have no control ie when is my techie going to get here I can handle that. Cause I know he will be here and he is here now. But if it’s something I have no control over ie when is that man from create space going to call back….

Very good point, Sue. Control is certainly a huge part of it for me and something I really hadn’t considered. I find relinquishing responsibility very tough regardless of the circumstances.

I’m notified of about half the comments here, plus my responses (yeah, I really need that). Just to be safe, I try to check regularly so I don’t miss anything—but it doesn’t always work. The how and why of notifications is a mystery.

I think I need an at-home hobby like knitting or crocheting, but not knitting or crocheting because I’m not dextrous enough. Also, it can’t take up much space, as I’ve none to spare. This may take some research.

An interesting question. I think I was more impatient when I was younger. Now, nothing seems that do-or-die important. I took Roland’s way and self-published. It worked for me. I always keep busy, am never bored, and am always thinking about the next challenge, whatever that is. Impatience to me is having too much time on my hands. If that happens, I’d have to clean my house, so it doesn’t happen.

I agree, Polly. I’m definitely more impatient now than when I was younger. A big part of it is focus. Dwelling and putting all of one’s eggs in a single basket is a luxury of youth. You’d think I’d have broken free from that years ago, but I’m a late bloomer. 😉